U N I T 1 -T H E S E L F F R O M

VAR I O U S P E R S P E C T I V E S
LO GICAL P E RSPE CTIVE
TOPIC 4: PSYCHO
TOPIC 4: PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
THE ONTOLOGY OF THE SELF HAS BEEN ONE OF THE MOST IMMENSELY RESEARCHED FOCI OF PSYCHOLOGY.
ESTABLISHED AS A SCIENTIFIC DISCIPLINE IN 1879, PSYCHOLOGY IN ITS ATTEMPT TO BROADEN
THEORETICAL EXPLANATIONS ON THE SELF HAS BEEN SO FASCINATED IN LOOKING UNTO INDISPENSABLE
PHENOMENA LIKE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE VARIABLES WHICH INCLUDE
PERSONALITY, BEHAVIOR AND MENTAL PROCESSES.
THE ETYMOLOGY OF PSYCHOLOGY IS FROM THE GREEK WORDS “PSYCHE” WHICH MEANS “MIND OR SOUL”
AND “LOGY” WHICH MEANS “SCIENCE”. PSYCHOLOGY IS MORE POPULARLY DEFINED AS THE “STUDY OF
BEHAVIOR” WHICH IS A MANIFESTATION OF ONE’S MIND.
William James’s Me - Self and I - Self
American philosopher and psychologist, William James (1842-1910), extensively
explained the self and its aspects on his 1890 publication The Principles of
Psychology.
According to James, a man's self is the “sum total of all that he can call his, not
only his body and his psychic powers, but his clothes and his house, his wife and
children, his ancestors and friends, his reputation and works, his lands and
horses, and yacht and bank-account.” This suggests that the self is comprise of
everything the person has.

James proposed that the self has two facets: the I - Self and the Me - Self. The I-Self is said to be the self in
action or as subject; it is that aspect of the self that does the acting, thinking, and feeling. It is also known as
the self as the knower or perceiver . The Me-Self on the other hand refers to the self as an object; it is that
facet of the self which is the known or the perceived. Also termed by James as the Empirical Self, the me is
one’s accumulated understanding of one’s self.
 Me - Self or the Empirical Self has three
SELF components: the Material Self which
encompasses all of our important
possessions as well as the people we
“I” Self
treasure; the Social Self involved how
The perceiver
“Me” Self
The self-
we think we are viewed and regarded by
(the part of the
self that allows
concept (the others and also our instinctive desire to
you to be
knowledge and
thoughts be recognized; and the Spiritual Self
consciously
aware of who
related to who contains our subjective dispositions
you think you
you are.)
are.) like our self-appraised abilities, beliefs,
attitudes, emotions, etc.
 Carl Rogers’s Real Self and Ideal Self
Known for being one of the pillars of humanistic theory, American psychologist
Carl Rogers (1902 – 1987), posited about self-concept. Self-concept simply speaks
of how we think and view of ourselves. It includes the entire schema and the
knowledge that we have or that we are aware of about ourselves.

Rogers posited two essential components of the self: the real self and the ideal
self. According to him, the real self speaks of how we genuinely appraise
ourselves. It is the self that feels most true to what and who we really are. It may
not be perfect but it is the part of us that feel most real. The ideal self on the other
hand, denotes one’s view of self as one wishes to be. It contains attributes,
usually positive, that people aspire to possess.
 Albert Bandura’s Proactive and Agentic Self
Albert Bandura (1925 – present) is a renowned psychologist who advocated the social
cognitive theory of learning. This learning perspective contends that human behavior
results from vicarious learning, through the experiences of other people.

Bandura viewed people as agents or originators of experience. We don’t just merely

observe and imitate behavior; we have cognitive faculties that enable us to discern
unto whether or not such behavior is worth emulating or if such can help us become
better individuals. One of the fundamental concepts espoused by social cognitive
theory is self-efficacy, which is defined as one’s conviction or belief that he or she can
take on a certain task successfully.

The self as proactive is constructive; it is optimistic that it can get through whatever adversities it may
encounter. An agentic self is one who takes charge of his choices and actions; it is self-reflective and self-
regulating. An agentic and proactive self believes that no matter how big the problem may seem to be, he or
she can overcome it.
Murray Bowen’s Differentiated Self
Known for being one of the forerunners of family therapy and notable for having
developed a family systems theory, American psychiatrist Dr. Murray Bowen (1913 –
1990), posited on the differentiation of selves.

Differentiation of selves refers to the degree to which one is able to balance: (a)
emotional and intellectual functioning, and (b) intimacy and autonomy in relationship .

Differentiation involves the ability to make clear boundaries between our thoughts and feelings, and to
choose which of the two will guide our behavior. Highly differentiated individuals are able to balance
autonomy and intimacy in their relationship. This means that one is able to establish connection with
others without losing one’s self in the process. Poorly differentiated individuals, on the other hand, may
engage in fusion in their relationships. This means that they become much attached to the roles they play
in a relationship, they have few firmly held beliefs, they are more likely to be compliant, and seek approval
from others before making major decision. Thus differentiation of self is the capacity to achieve a clear,
coherent sense of self along with emotional relationships with important others.
Donald Woods Winnicott’s True and False Selves
Donald Woods Winnicott (1896-1971 was an English psychoanalyst who
conceptualized the true and false selves.

According to him the true self is based on our authentic experiences as a

person. This is somehow similar to Roger’s concept of the real self. The feeling
of being alive, doing the things you want to do, and just being yourself comprise
the true self.

On the other hand, the false self, which may also referred to as a fake self or
superficial self, is our defense against the vulnerabilities or imperfections of
our real self.
REFERENCE

CSU UTS MODULE